I cannot resist a good cookie. In fact, my favorite dessert is cookies. Unfashionable, I know, but once I got past the sixth grade, cake (namely bakery shop birthday cake with lots of icing roses) stopped being my favorite, and inasmuch as I come from a family of pie lovers, pie pretty much leaves me cold. But cookies! Ahhh, the perfect dessert. Small, tasty, portable! You can grab one on the go, balance one on a saucer to enjoy with a cup of afternoon tea, or slip one into your pocket when no one is looking. Or, as in the case of my sons when they were very young, grabbed warm off the cooling racks, sneaked out of the kitchen and into the family room, leaping the couch in a single bound.
My favorite cookie is the butter cookie because it can be enhanced in so many different ways. In this case I sandwiched them with a layer of chocolate, but jam would work equally well. Here I piped them with a star tip, but they could be run through a press with any variety of plates in order to make different designs and then topped with chocolate or colored sprinkles, various sugars, or whatever suits you. If you choose the cookie press, an hour of chilling will be necessary. The dough can also be tinted with food coloring, but I prefer the simple beauty of these. I hope you'll consider adding these to your holiday cookie tray.
Chocolate-Filled Butter Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 drops yellow food coloring
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and the food coloring of your choice, if desired (I used yellow here to brighten the dough). Add flour and baking power and mix well.
Place dough in a pastry bag fitted with a number 4-S tip (the S means 'star'), and pipe out in 2 inch bars (I piped an "S")onto greased baking pan. (Can also be piped into rosettes or other shapes) Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes. Put baked cookies together with jam, frosting, or melted chocolate. Makes 4 dozen depending upon size.
